Additive manufactured conglomerated powder removal from internal passages

ABSTRACT

A component includes an additively manufactured component with an internal passage and an additively manufactured elongated member within the internal passage. A method of additively manufacturing a component including additively manufacturing a component with an internal passage; and additively manufacturing an elongated member within the internal passage concurrent with additively manufacturing the component.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to additive manufacturing and, moreparticularly, to removing conglomerated powder from within an internalpassage.

Precision engineered parts such as gas turbine components may bemanufactured by an additive manufacturing operation such that featuresassociated with conventional manufacturing processes, e.g., machining,forging, welding, casting, etc. can be eliminated to facilitate savingsin cost, material, and time. Additive manufacturing often results inconglomerated powder building-up around, and within, the completedcomponent as an artifact of the process. When additive manufacturing acomponent that has internal passages, this conglomerated powder oftenbecomes entrapped in the internal passages and is difficult to remove.

There are currently few methods that directly and rapidly remove theconglomerated powder. One standard practice may include repeated use ofan accelerated media blast, combined with mechanically scraping. Anotherstandard practice includes, mega sonic or ultrasonic vibratory methodsto liberate the powder particles. Oftentimes, such practices are stillinefficient at removal of removing conglomerated powder from within theinternal passages.

SUMMARY

A component according to one disclosed non-limiting embodiment of thepresent disclosure can include an additively manufactured component withan internal passage; and an additively manufactured elongated memberwithin the internal passage.

A further embodiment of the present disclosure may include, wherein theadditively manufactured component include a first flange, a secondflange, and a conduit with the internal passage therebetween.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include, wherein the conduit includes multiple bends.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include, wherein the internal passage is non line of sight.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include, wherein the additively manufactured elongated memberdefines a maximum diameter that forms an about 0.01 inch radial gap withthe internal passage.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include, wherein the additively manufactured elongated memberextends along a centerline of the internal passage.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include, wherein the internal passage defines an aspect ratio with adiameter to length of less that 1:4.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include, wherein a ratio between the internal passage internaldiameter and the elongated member outer diameter is between 1.005:1 to25:1.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include, wherein a diameter of the elongated member is greater thanabout 0.03 inches and less than a maximum diameter that forms an about0.01 inch radial gap with the internal passage.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include, wherein the internal passage is between about 0.25 and 2.0inches (˜6-50 mm) in diameter.

A method of additively manufacturing a component according to onedisclosed non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure can includeadditively manufacturing a component with an internal passage; andadditively manufacturing an elongated member within the internal passageconcurrent with additively manufacturing the component.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include cleaning the internal passage of conglomerated powder withthe elongated member subsequent to completion of the additivelymanufacturing.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include removing the elongated member from within the internalpassage subsequent to cleaning the internal passage.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include destructively removing the elongated member from within theinternal passage subsequent to cleaning the internal passage.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include pulling the elongated member out of the internal passagesubsequent to cleaning the internal passage.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include removing conglomerated powder from the external surfaces ofthe completed additively manufactured component.

A further embodiment of any of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay include agitating the elongated member within the internal passageto remove clean the internal passage of conglomerated powder of thecompleted additively manufactured component.

The foregoing features and elements may be combined in variouscombinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise.These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will becomemore apparent in light of the following description and the accompanyingdrawings. It should be understood, however, the following descriptionand drawings are intended to be exemplary in nature and non-limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various features will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description of the disclosed non-limitingembodiment. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale.Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views. The drawings thataccompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a representative additively manufacturedcomponent.

FIG. 2 is a method of additively manufacturing a component according toone disclosed non-limiting embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the additively manufactured component ofFIG. 1 with an elongated member for removing conglomerated powder fromwithin an internal passage.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the additively manufactured componentwith the conglomerated powder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a component 20 that includes aninternal passage 22. In this example, the component 20 may be a conduitsuch as that of a manifold, duct, flow passage, or other such component.The component 20 may include a first flange 24, a second flange 26, anda conduit 28 with the internal passage 22 therebetween. The internalpassage 22 may be complex and be of a non-line of sight geometry thatincludes multiple bends. It should be appreciated that variousadditional or alternative segments and/or fittings may also be provided.It should be further appreciated that although a conduit type example isillustrated herein, other aerospace components, aircraft structures, aswell as a wide variety of applications outside the aerospace industry,which include one or more internal passages, will benefit herefrom.

The component 20 may be readily manufactured with an additivemanufacturing process that includes but are not limited to,Sterolithography (SLA), Direct Selective Laser Sintering (DSLS),Electron Beam Sintering (EBS), Electron Beam Melting (EBM), LaserEngineered Net Shaping (LENS), Laser Net Shape Manufacturing (LNSM),Direct Metal Deposition (DMD), Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) andothers. Although particular additive manufacturing processes aredisclosed, those skilled in the art of manufacturing will recognize thatany other suitable rapid manufacturing methods using layer-by-layerconstruction or additive fabrication can alternatively be used.

The additive manufacturing process sequentially builds-up layers ofatomized alloy and/or ceramic powder material that include but are notlimited to, steel alloys, stainless steel alloys, titanium alloys,nickel alloys, aluminum alloys and others in atomized powder materialform. Nickel alloys may have specific benefit for parts that operate inhigh temperature environments, such as, for example, environmentstypically encountered by aerospace and gas turbine engine components.

The additive manufacturing process fabricates or “grows” of componentsusing three-dimensional information, for example a three-dimensionalcomputer model. The three-dimensional information is converted into aplurality of slices, each slice defining a cross section of thecomponent for a predetermined height of the slice. The additivemanufactured component 20 is then “grown” slice-by-slice, orlayer-by-layer, until finished. Each layer has an example size betweenabout 0.0005-0.001 inches (0.0127-0.0254 mm). The additive manufacturingprocess facilitates manufacture of the relatively complex internalpassage geometry to minimize assembly details, gun-drilling, andmulti-component construction.

With reference to FIG. 2, one disclosed non-limiting embodiment of amethod 100 to additively manufacture the component 20 initially includesadditively manufacturing the component 20 with an elongated member 40through the internal passage 22 (step 110; FIG. 3). That is, theelongated member 40 forms no part of the component 20 but is additivelymanufactured simultaneously with the component 20. The elongated member40 may be integral to the build geometry and may follow along acenterline A of the internal passage 22.

In one embodiment, the internal passage 22 may define an aspect ratiowith a diameter to length of less that 1:4. In one non-limitingdimension embodiment, the elongated member 40 diameter 40D is greaterthan a minimum diameter of about 0.03 inches in and less than a maximumdiameter that forms an about 0.01 inch radial gap with the internalpassage 22. In this non-limiting dimension embodiment, the internaldiameter 22D dimension of the internal passage 22 is between about 0.25and 2.0 inches (˜6-50 mm) in diameter. For example, for an internaldiameter 22D of 2.0 inches, the diameter 40D may be between about0.03-1.98 inches. In the non-limiting dimension embodiment, the ratiobetween the internal diameter 22D and the outer diameter 40D is betweenabout 1.005:1 to 12.525:1. It should be appreciated that this is but oneexample, and various relationship may otherwise benefit herefrom.

Next, conglomerated powder 50 is removed from the external surfaces ofthe completed additively manufactured component 20 (step 120; FIG. 4).Removal is conventional and may include the use of accelerated mediablast, mechanically scraping, vibratory or other methods. The completedcomponent 20 thereby retains the elongated member 40 within the internalpassage 22 once the conglomerated powder 50 is removed from the externalsurfaces. The elongated member 40 may be utilized to facilitate handlingand transport of the component 20.

Next, the elongated member 40 is agitated and/or “stirred” around insidethe internal passage 22 to mechanically work the conglomerated powder 50out of the internal passage 22 (step 130). That is, the conglomeratedpowder 50 may be relatively compacted and the elongated member 40operates to clean the internal passage 22 of the conglomerated powder50. As the elongated member 40 generally extends along the centerline Aof the internal passage 22, the entirety of the internal passage 22 isreadily cleared. Alternatively, the elongated member 40 may almostcompletely fill the internal passage 22 to facilitate the removal of arelatively large volume of conglomerated powder 50 in addition tobreaking up the conglomerated powder 50.

Next, the elongated member 40 is removed from the internal passage 22(step 140; FIG. 1). In some instances the elongated member 40 issufficiently flexible and the internal passage geometry is such that theelongated member 40 may be pulled out from the internal passage 22. Inother instances, the elongated member 40 may need to be destructivelyremoved such as via abrasive flow, chemical milling, and/or otherprocesses.

The utilization of the elongated member 40 readily facilitates directand rapid removal of the conglomerated powder from within internalpassages.

The use of the terms “a,” “an,” “the,” and similar references in thecontext of description (especially in the context of the followingclaims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural,unless otherwise indicated herein or specifically contradicted bycontext. The modifier “about” used in connection with a quantity isinclusive of the stated value and has the meaning dictated by thecontext (e.g., it includes the degree of error associated withmeasurement of the particular quantity). All ranges disclosed herein areinclusive of the endpoints, and the endpoints are independentlycombinable with each other. It should be appreciated that relativepositional terms such as “forward,” “aft,” “upper,” “lower,” “above,”“below,” and the like are with reference to normal operational attitudeand should not be considered otherwise limiting.

Although the different non-limiting embodiments have specificillustrated components, the embodiments of this invention are notlimited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some ofthe components or features from any of the non-limiting embodiments incombination with features or components from any of the othernon-limiting embodiments.

It should be appreciated that like reference numerals identifycorresponding or similar elements throughout the several drawings. Itshould also be appreciated that although a particular componentarrangement is disclosed in the illustrated embodiment, otherarrangements will benefit herefrom.

Although particular step sequences are shown, described, and claimed, itshould be understood that steps may be performed in any order, separatedor combined unless otherwise indicated and will still benefit from thepresent disclosure.

The foregoing description is exemplary rather than defined by thelimitations within. Various non-limiting embodiments are disclosedherein, however, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize thatvarious modifications and variations in light of the above teachingswill fall within the scope of the appended claims. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosuremay be practiced other than as specifically described. For that reasonthe appended claims should be studied to determine true scope andcontent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A component, comprising: an additivelymanufactured component with a non-line of sight internal passage; and aremovable additively manufactured elongated member that extends throughthe non-line of sight internal passage, the additively manufacturedelongated member defines a maximum diameter that forms an about 0.01inch radial gap with the non-line of sight internal passage, wherein aratio between the non-line of sight internal passage internal diameterand the elongated member outer diameter is between 1.005:1 to 25:1, thearea between the non-line of sight internal passage internal diameterand the removable additively manufactured elongated member outerdiameter filled with conglomerated powder.
 2. The component as recitedin claim 1, wherein the additively manufactured component comprises afirst flange, a second flange, and a conduit with the internal passagetherebetween.
 3. The component as recited in claim 2, wherein theconduit includes multiple bends.
 4. The component as recited in claim 1,wherein the additively manufactured elongated member extends along acenterline of the internal passage.
 5. The component as recited in claim1, wherein the internal passage defines an aspect ratio with a diameterto length of less than 1:4.
 6. The component as recited in claim 1,wherein a diameter of the elongated member is greater than about 0.03inches.
 7. The component as recited in claim 1, wherein the internalpassage is between about 0.25 and 2.0 inches (˜6-50 mm) in diameter.